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Making a List and Checking It Twice

I like music. Especially this time of year. I can’t start listening to holiday music early enough. It can’t end late enough to suit me. Rudolph and Peter Cottontail overlap with me. So, this year I signed up for a free music service for my too smart cell phone. It was affordable because it barks advertising to me between the songs. One morning last week, grooming myself in the mirror, readying for a meeting, I’m singing along to my favorites when all of a sudden I hear, “Harry. Harry. There are local singles who want to meet you!” Stop the presses. Never before has my cell called out my name to get my attention. Never before were local singles interested in meeting me. ...I knew my phone was smart, but didn’t know it could be intrusively annoying. I forgot to check *Married* on the application apparently and it was trying to fix me up for Saturday night. Sorry. I’m taken. Get with it. This tiny episode though, catapulted me back to an advertising class I once took. Yes, they have such things. All semester we concentrated on a one-to-one marketing strategy, because one of the most common mistakes in advertising strategy development is attempting to talk to too large a market or to too many people at the same time. When we attempt to appeal to too large an audience we will, unfortunately, end up talking to no one in particular. Advertising is no place for the “My fellow Americans” speech. How does this effect you? Well, if you are a small business owner or have the responsibility of marketing a small company, you are going to have to sit down at some point and write. Write an ad to someone, somewhere who probably doesn’t want to hear from you. Like the dating service hi-jacking the sanctity of my phone. Here is a quick list to for you to check when you think you are finished:

Did you offer something exciting or different?

Is everything positive (not negative)?

Is what you are offering easy to get and quickly?

Is it too good to be true? (If it is, it probably isn’t)

Is it interesting and easy to read?

Does it communicate exactly what you wanted to say?

Did you write it to one person?

So, my fellow Americans small business advertisers....start thinking the word ‘one’. One idea, one strategy one ad, to one person. And take one holiday at a time. Oh, by the way, the music service has been cancelled. Here’s to your success.... and have one Merry Christmas Please note. I am beginning a new question and answer section for this column. If you have a question regarding marketing/advertising/public relations/sales please don’t hesitate to write to the below e-mail. You and your company’s name will be kept confidential. I will do my best to answer them in a timely fashion within the space provided me here. Remember, a rising tide lifts all boats. Looking forward to hearing from you. Harry Roemisch is the owner of Roemisch & Company a marketing, advertising and public relations company. He can be reached at [email protected] or 864-660-9544

#advertising #public relations #marketing #roemisch #marketshare #small business #small biz #business

How Much Is A Logo?

If I had a dime for every logo I’ve created, I’d be a poor man today. Even with all the years I’ve been in this business...I just haven’t done that many. Few dozen...maybe...tops. Why? Not because I haven’t been asked. I have shied away from this task because creating a corporate logo is probably one of the toughest, time heavy, creative drains of any of the marketing services offered to clients.

People who know what I do for a living will come up to me out of the blue, and ask, “How much is a logo today Harry? I see them on the Internet for 10 bucks now?” Under my breath I mumble something like, “And how much is a house? I see people living in tents now too.” What a lot of business people don’t understand is that images, like a logo, at a glance, help us understand a concept that would take forever to explain in words. The shape, the colors, the fonts, the leading...they all transmit what the company is and what it stands for. This is important stuff.

So, If you are looking for that new look. One that reflects your passion for your business, the integrity of your products, the attitude of your employees and your concern for your customers, here’s a quick list of things not to do. And then, things to do that will help you in your quest.

1. Do not have a logo contest. This means inviting numerous artists, most non professionally trained, to compete. You get to choose and pay the one who does the best job. What you will inevitably get is something of poor quality. A design you have to settle for, and then throw good money after bad to refine it before it’s ready to use. If there is a sign, a piece of stationery or an ad that is visually trite, complicated or just plain doesn’t make sense to you, chances are it was a contest winner.

2. Do not use stock imagery downloaded from the Internet. These images are ripped thousands of times a day, promising you that just when you thought you got a fabulous deal, you’ll see yourself coming and going on a product or service that doesn’t reflect the nature or stature,or perhaps even the product of your firm.

3. Do not try this at home. Do not attempt to draw one yourself unless you do your own dentistry.

4. Do interview more than one firm or artist. Look for that one special person who is truly interested in getting to know your industry and how you are positioned within it. This is about a relationship, and there has to be chemistry. With their permission Email or call their satisfied clients. It’s too late after the process has begun. Hide nothing. Tell him or her everything they need to know about your business. Pay ⅓ of the fee up front. ⅓ of the fee after pencil concepts have been approved and ⅓ after it is finished.

5. Expect a charge higher than you anticipated. The time required to research, conceptualize, reflect, communicate, cry, redo, make camera ready, can be considerable. Expect no more than 2 or 3 visual spec concepts. With logos, confusion reigns. No one can choose from too many options. The process will also take longer than you expected. Weeks, sometimes months will go by. Don’t rush it.

6. When it’s finished and everyone is delighted, reward the artist with chocolates, a dinner, booze if appropriate, and then celebrate yourself. Don’t let major milestones pass without proper acknowledgements. Life’s short.

So how much is a logo? Impossible to say. If you keep it for a month you paid too much. If you keep it for a lifetime, priceless. Do what you can afford without being cheap and you should come away from all this with a song in your heart and a public identity that says to the world everything you want people to know about your business...in a single image.

Here’s to your success.

Please note. I am beginning a new question and answer section for this column. If you have a question regarding marketing/advertising/public relations/sales please don’t hesitate to write to the below e-mail. You and your company’s name will be kept confidential. I will do my best to answer them in a timely fashion within the space provided me here. Remember, a rising tide lifts all boats. This has nothing to do with the article you have just read. Looking forward to hearing from you. Harry Roemisch is the owner of Roemisch & Company a marketing, advertising and public relations company with offices in the Trillium Arts Centre in Travelers Rest, SC and Brevard, NC. He can be reached at [email protected] or 864-660-9544